Cabbages & Kings

A“There are as many nights as there are days Give or take a maximum of one There are as many petals as there are rays Between the rise and set of the sun” From Gymnosophist Hymns by Bachchoo s an elder of the Asian c o mmunity in Britain I am frequently asked what I think of the Indian general elections whose proceedings began in Assam this week. The questioners usually want to know if I can predict the result that will be announced in the middle of May. Because I have no idea and loath to play oracle, I bat the question to silly mid off where it is unlikely to be caught. (Not that I know where silly mid off is no more than I can name the capital of Alpha Centauri).

The strategy I use to avoid answering the question repeatedly is to formulate a different observation on the unique nature of Indian democracy. These observations as you, gentle reader, would expect from such as myself are erudite, wide-ranging, historically informed and original.

My first observation has been based on a periodical perusal of the Indian press and television. I always preface this observation with the very profound dictum that a free press is one of the cornerstones of democracy. Pull the cornerstone out and the building collapses! Hah! Of course the dictum’s truth or falsehood depends on the definition of “free”.

As far as I am aware